Salvia plant named ‘Violet Riot’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of perennial  Salvia  plant named ‘Violet Riot’ characterized by its large vivid violet-blue flowers with deep purple calyxes densely arranged in verticils, compact rounded habit with stiff, upright, branched stems and strong vigorous winter-hardy growth rate and gray-green foliage.

Botanical denomination: Salvia hybrid (Linnaeus).

Cultivar designation: ‘Violet Riot’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Sage plant hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Salvia ‘Violet Riot’ or as the new plant. The new plant was discovered in the summer of 2012 by the inventor, Hans A. Hansen. Salvia ‘Violet Riot’ was the result of a chance seedling the residential perennial garden of the inventor in Zeeland, Mich., USA. The female (seed) parent and male (pollen) parent are both unknown. Salvia ‘Violet Riot’ was placed in comparison trials at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA in the summer of 2013 and approved for introductions that year by the inventor, Hans A. Hansen. The plant was then further tested with asexual propagation by tip cuttings taken in 2012. The resulting plants of Salvia ‘Violet Riot’ asexually propagated at the same wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. have been found to be true to type and stable in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of Salvia ‘Violet Riot’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, nutrition and light intensity, etc. without, however, any variance in genotype.

The nearest comparison cultivars are Salvia ‘May Night’ (not patented) and Salvia ‘East Friesland’ (not patented). Salvia ‘Violet Riot’ is more upright and slightly taller than ‘May Night’. The flower color of ‘May Night’ is slightly more blue and ‘Violet Riot’ is more violet. ‘East Friesland’ flowers about a week later and is a little shorter, is less upright and is slightly more purple in flower than ‘Violet Riot’.

The following characteristics in combination distinguish Saliva ‘Violet Riot’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Large vivid violet-blue colored flowers with deep purple         calyxes densely arranged in verticils from late spring into         early summer;     -   2. Compact overall rounded habit with stiff, upright, branched         stems;     -   3. Strong, vigorous and winter-hardy growth;     -   4. Rugose gray-green foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits and the overall appearance of Salvia ‘Violet Riot’. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color. The plant used in the photographs was a two-year old plant grown in an open, full-sun trial garden at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental water and fertilizer when needed. No plant growth regulators have been used.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up of the flower scape with the buds, calyxes and vivid violet-blue petal color.

FIG. 2 shows the plant habit in full flower in a landscape.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references except where common dictionary terms are used are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart. Salvia ‘Violet Riot’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and plant maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on two-year old plants growing in an outdoor full-sun trial garden at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. Plants were given supplemental water and fertilizer but no plant growth regulators were used.

-   Botanical classification: Salvia nemorosa (Linnaeus). -   Parentage: Female or seed parent is unknown; unknown male or pollen     parent. -   Plant habit: Winter-hardy herbaceous perennial; multi-stemmed, with     basal foliage largest and distally smaller opposite leaves at nodes,     and flowers in several tightly arranged verticils on branched     upright racemes displayed above foliage; in flower with panicles     about 60 cm tall and about 60 cm wide at the fullest point; foliage     extends up the stems to about two thirds the height of plant. -   Propagation: By herbaceous tip cuttings; time to produce a rooted     stems about two weeks. -   Growth rate: Rapid, vigorous, finishing in a 65 mm container in     about 7 weeks from rooted cutting, and from 65 mm container to     flowering 3.8 liter container in about 8 weeks. -   Root description: Fine, well-branched; color dependent on age and     soil type, from cream to dark tan in color. -   Foliage: Opposite, simple, rugose, lanceolate, glabrous upper and     lower surfaces except veins; margin crenate; acute apex and base     cordate to auriculate with lobes sometimes overlapping; lightly     pubescent both surfaces; size to about 12.0 cm long; leaf blades     about 9.0 cm long and 4.5 cm across, decreasing in size distally;     average leaves with petiole about 10.0 cm long and 3.5 cm across;     faint sage fragrance. -   Foliage color: Adaxial surface between RHS 136B and RHS N138A;     abaxial surface between RHS N138D and RHS N139C. -   Venation: Reticulate; impressed on adaxial side and ridged on     abaxial side; pubescent, more heavily on abaxial. -   Vein color: Adaxial midrib lighter than RHS 138D and RHS 145D, main     veins nearest RHS N138C and veinlets same color as surrounding     tissue; abaxial midrib and main veins lighter than RHS 145D,     veinlets beginning lighter than RHS 145D and becoming nearest RHS     138D toward leaf margin. -   Petiole: Concave adaxial side, convex abaxial side, pubescent; to     about 4.0 cm long and 5.0 mm wide, average 3.0 cm long and 4.0 mm     wide at base. -   Petiole color: Adaxial surfaces center nearest RHS 145D and margins     between RHS 139B and RHS 139C; abaxial center lighter than RHS 145D     and margins between RHS 139B and RHS 139C. -   Flower description: Perfect, bilabiate, verticillate with flowering     generally beginning at lower verticils and advancing up the scape;     average distance between verticils about 8.0 mm, greater proximally     and less distally; with lower lip projected at about 30 degree angle     above horizontal and banner petal about 60 degree angle above     horizontal; self-cleaning, petals not persistent; flowering     beginning late spring for about four weeks and repeating if initial     scapes removed. -   Flower longevity: About four days on the plant or as cut flower. -   Fragrance: Faint sweet honey. -   Flower buds one to two days prior to anthesis: Shape is rounded on     top and slightly concave below, with rounded apex; pubescent; about     7.0 mm long, 3.0 mm tall and 2.0 mm wide. -   Bud color: Petals nearest RHS N187A; abaxial calyx distal region     nearest RHS 187A, base nearest RHS138B with veins nearest RHS 187B;     adaxial calyx base nearest RHS 144B with tinting of veins nearest     RHS 187B, and proximal region nearest RHS 187B with darker veins of     nearest RHS 187A. -   Flowers: About 1.1 cm long, 8.0 mm tall and 4.0 mm wide; clustered     at verticils with normally six flowers per verticil. -   Petals: Bilabiate corolla; upper banner petal fused to lower labium;     upper banner petal and flattened side to side vertically with     notched apex, labium of four lobes with larger two fused to apex     upturned concaved. -   Banner (upper) petal: Pubescent outside and glabrous inside; about     1.1 cm long, 3.0 mm tall and 2.0 mm across. -   Labium (lower petal): Pubescent outside and glabrous inside;     consisting of four lobes; two flattened proximal lobes about 2.5 mm     long and 1.0 mm wide at base with acute apex and fused to labium     about 7.0 mm from base; two distal lobes fused into one forming     upward facing cup about 1.5 mm deep with rounded apex, about 11.0 mm     long 4.0 mm wide with rounded apex and no apical notch between. -   Petal color: Upper banner petal nearest RHS N88A outside and between     RHS N88B and RHS N88C inside; lower labium petal nearest RHS N88A in     both inner and outer surfaces; fused base of petals lightening to     near white, much lighter than RHS N155A. -   Androecium: Two, fused with labium, contained within banner petal.     -   -   Filament.—Glabrous, fused about 6.0 mm from base of labium             petal; curved around inside of banner petal; about 2.5 mm             long rounded at point of anther attachment and less than 0.5             mm diameter, with flattened flared region at base point of             fusion with banner petal about 1.0 nun across; color             proximal region nearest RHS N88A, lightening to nearest RHS             N88C before stamen.         -   Anther.—Glabrous, oblong, less than1.0 mm long and less than             0.5 mm diameter; longitudinal, dorsifixed; color nearest RHS             N89A.         -   Pollen.—Globose, less than 0.5 mm circumference; color             nearest RHS 11B. -   Gynoecium: One, curved around inside of banner petal and protruding     in distal 4.0 mm.     -   -   Style.—About 1.3 cm long and less than 1 mm diameter; color             lighter than RHS 85D at base, darkening distally to nearest             RHS 86B before stigma split.         -   Stigma.—Split in two and curved in the terminal 2.0 mm; apex             pointed; color nearest RHS 86A.         -   Ovary.—Superior; color nearest RHS 144A.         -   Fruit.—Nutlet, up to four at base inside calyx; rounded,             about 1.0 mm diameter; color darker than RHS 200A.         -   Calyx.—Five sepals, three upper and two lower, campanulate,             apex acute; fused base; tube about 7.0 mm long and 4.0 mm             tall at mouth and 2.0 mm wide; lower set fused to within 3.0             mm of apex and cleft about 3.0 mm deep between upper and             lower set; upper set of three fused to about 0.5 mm of apex.         -   Calyx color.—Abaxial base nearest RHS 145B with distal             tinting developing of between RHS N186C and RHS N187B;             adaxial base nearest RHS 145B and distal one half darkening             to nearest RHS 137B with tinting nearest RHS N186C; abaxial             and adaxial veins of nearest RHS 141B with tinting of             nearest RHS 186C developing distally. -   Bracts: Each verticil subtended by two opposite bracts; apex     acuminate, base attenuate, shape nearly cordate; margin minutely     pubescent, and glabrous above and below; bract size up to 10.0 mm     long and 7.0 mm wide, decreasing distally. -   Bract color: Both surfaces between RHS 137A and RHS 137B on 1.0 to     2.0 mm wide margins and veins stretching about two thirds way to     base, with translucent center and base between RHS 71A and RHS 71B. -   Peduncles: Quadrangular in cross section; about 18 per plant;     strong; mostly upright, up to 60 cm tall and 5.0 mm across; finely     pubescent; branches upright at lower nodes with branches to about     25.0 cm long and 3.0 mm across; average internode distance about 7.0     cm. -   Peduncle color: Between RHS 138A and RHS 138B in upper and lower     regions with stippling of nearest RHS 187A concentrated in the upper     regions and area receiving more light. -   Pedicels: Cylindrical, about 3.0 mm long and 0.5 mm diameter;     pubescent; held about 45 degrees above horizontal. -   Pedicel color: Between RHS N186C and RHS N187B. -   Disease and pest resistance: Plants of Salvia ‘Violet Riot’ perform     best with adequate moisture and good drainage; are hardy from USDA     zone 3 to 8; resistant to diseases and pests beyond that common to     Salvia has not been noted. 

It is claimed:
 1. The new and distinct perennial Salvia plant named ‘Violet Riot’ as herein described and illustrated useful for landscaping as a specimen plant, en masse or as a cut flower. 